Through HWSAC (your local BSAC club), you can enjoy the full range of club and training activities - including specialist skill development courses - as well as weekend dive trips, diving holidays and social activities.

BSAC Dive Leader

Dive Leader Course Outline
The Dive Leader Course consists of the following elements:

twelve classroom lessons

a theory assessment

seven open water lessons

two dry practical lessons

twenty dives (which may include the open water lessons), in a range of conditions, since qualifying as a Sports Diver

All practical training includes the achievement of specific performance standards at appropriate points throughout the lessons. The Ocean Diver and Sports Diver courses were biased towards learning skills and knowledge while underpinning this with appropriate experience. The Dive Leader course continues to build on these skills and knowledge, but the experience element becomes increasingly important. The definitions of the qualifying dives therefore cover a wide range of conditions to provide the essential consolidation of the skills and knowledge.

Open Water ConditionsThe build-up of experience of diving in a wide range of conditions is as important a part of Dive Leader training as the specific lessons. Dive sites should include those encompassing a wide variety of topography and underwater life, and which have noticeable water movement due to waves or current (max 1.5kn). Water conditions should also include a range of underwater visibilities. Access from both shore and boats should be included. Until qualified as a Dive Leader depth should not exceed 35m. Subsequently, and with appropriate experience, this can be increased to 50m.

Dive Leader Dry Practical Lessons
The dry practical elements of the Dive Leader course build on the theory knowledge and allow the student to practice in a set of training scenarios.

DP1 Dive Management Part 1
DP2 Dive Management Part 2
Dive Leader Open Water Lessons
The emphasis on the Open Water dives is to build on the skills already learnt during Ocean and Sports diver. The lessons also extend the practical knowledge of the student.

DO1 DSMB Use
DO2 Dive Leading Demonstration
DO3 Dive Leading Practice
DO4 Shot Recovery by Simple Lift
DO5 Rescue Management Scenarios
DO6 Diving and Rescue Skills Review
DO7 Rescue Skills Review
Experience dives
The Dive Leader syllabus includes open water lessons and experience dives which should total a minimum of 20 dives and 600 mins. Underwater time since qualifying as a Sports Diver. To ensure that students receive experience in a range of conditions, the open water dives must include at least 5 conditions from the following, appropriate to the local conditions in which they will subsequently be diving:

low visibility dive - dive in visibility in the range between 1.5 and 3 metres

night dive - dive during the hours of darkness, using artificial light as the sole source of illumination.

wreck dive - dive in tidal waters, involving a direct descent to the wreck following a shot line, to dive on the wreck in aslack water window. Ascent either via shot line or under DSMB as appropriate to tidal conditions at end of dive.

drift dive - dive in moving water in the speed range between 1.0 and 1.5kn

wall dive - dive along a vertical or near vertical wall, with deep water below the divers